THE IRISH MOB IN BOSTON, NEW YORK, AND PHILADELPHIA

The great influx of immigrants into large East Coast cities helped to shape an ethnic subculture that influenced the Nation's social history.The mob subculture has become of the greatest influences on movies and books in the United States. The 18th Amendment, which banned the Nation's consumption of alcohol, caused the mob's rise to power during the 1920s and 30s. Each city had its own powerful gang, whether it be Italian or Irish,and this gang controlled the trafficing of illegal alcohol throughout the city and it's surrounding areas. Three cities in particular; Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, contained underworlds primarily controlled by the Irish mob for some time during Prohibition. However, many times the Irish mob's bootlegging powers were stolen by the Italian mafia, causing several gangwars and the loss of the lives of the involved parties on both sides. Today, the Irish mob still maintains a large presence within the city of Boston's South End, "Southie", neighborhood.